Jefferson County, Kentucky’s chief felony prosecutor, Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerina D. Whethers; Floyd County, Indiana’s Prosecuting Attorney Chris Lane; and Clark County, Indiana’s Prosecuting Attorney Jeremy Mull formed a new Kentucky Indiana Prosecutors Alliance (KIPA) between their offices at the beginning of 2025. The interstate information and decision partnership, first initiated in 2018, saw its formal return as Attorney Whethers began her first official six-year term in office in 2025. Initiatives of the partnership will focus not only on tackling major crimes, but also on reducing juvenile crime and violence throughout the greater area.
“Criminals don’t care about borders and boundaries when they commit crimes on one side of the river and cross to another,” explained Attorney Whethers. “Just as our communities are connected across bridges, so too should be our prosecution efforts. We’ve been intentional and meticulous in meeting together over the past year and a half to see what will be best for all our counties, and this is the most logical outcome.”
“Criminals don’t care about borders and boundaries when they commit crimes on one side of the river and cross to another,” explained Attorney Whethers. “Just as our communities are connected across bridges, so too should be our prosecution efforts. We’ve been intentional and meticulous in meeting together over the past year and a half to see what will be best for all our counties, and this is the most logical outcome.”
“When there are common defendants and common cases in each county, collaboration is key to further the interests of justice,” continued Attorney Lane. “Hoosiers and Kentuckians deserve to be safe from bad actors no matter where they strike. Reestablishing a formal relationship structure lets us better promote public safety and make both sides of the Ohio better places to live.”
“High-speed chases, for example, have started in Kentucky and made their way across the river, and vice versa. Without clear lines of cooperation and targeted approaches, it’s easy for necessary procedures to get bogged down in interstate legal considerations,” explained Attorney Mull. “We can better coordinate a pursuit of justice when we work more directly together, and expedite the judicial process so guilty parties are behind bars sooner.”
Through KIPA, each office will have a designated liaison. That point person will serve as a direct contact with the other agencies, ensuring more efficient communication across lines. Once a KIPA case has been identified, all three offices will, as relevant, cross-reference research with each other on pending cases and their circumstances. Once a pool of information is in place, prosecutors can decide how to best file charges, handle cases, and coordinate further as needed depending on the severity of crimes and other considerations.
Using that gathered information to make decisions together leads to more efficient and effective legal outcomes. Prosecutors can work to schedule hearings to avoid calendar overlaps and delays. They can also decide whether offering plea agreements or even proceeding in trial in one jurisdiction can lead to a better outcome than in another, considering the laws of each state.
KIPA reaffirms a commitment by all three offices to strenuously work together to keep our communities safe.
The KIPA initiative is part of Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerina D. Whethers’ commitment to her and her office’s 2025 goals for public safety: GRACE in the community. As the partnership develops, it will effectively address Gun safety, Roadway safety, the pattern of Abuse of drugs and narcotics in our communities, embracing Community and collaborative stakeholders, and efforts to Educate our youth and share more insights about our laws. The sharing and support of these goals by the Floyd and Clark County, Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys are invaluable.
The Floyd County Prosecutor is charged with the responsibility of representing the State of Indiana in all felony and misdemeanor criminal prosecutions resulting from criminal activity within Floyd County, Indiana. For more information, visit in.gov/counties/floyd/department/prosecutor for more about the office of Chris Lane.
The Office of the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney is charged with the responsibility of representing the State of Indiana in all felony and misdemeanor criminal prosecutions, resulting from crimes committed within Clark County, Indiana. For more information, visit clarkprosecutor.org/ for more about the office of Jeremy Mull.
